LAW 80

The LAW 80 (Light Anti-armour Weapon 80), regularly referred to as LAW 94 in British service, is a man-portable, disposable anti-tank weapon previously used by the British Army and a few other militaries.

LAW 80
A LAW 80 being tested by the US Army in 1983
TypeRocket-propelled grenade (anti-tank, disposable)
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1987–present
Used bySee § Users
Wars
Production history
ManufacturerHunting Engineering
Produced1987–1993[1]
No. builtc. 113,000[1]
Specifications
Mass
  • 9 kg (20 lb) loaded
  • 4.6 kg (10 lb) projectile
Length
  • 1.5 m (59 in) firing
  • 1 m (39 in) carrying
Crew1
Calibre94 mm (3.7 in)
Effective firing range20–500 m (66–1,640 ft)
Sights×1 magnification telescopic sight
WarheadHEAT
Detonation
mechanism
Contact fuze
Blast yieldmuch greater than 600 mm (24 in) of RHA
PropellantHTPB
Launch
platform
Man-portable launcher

Description

The weapon consists of an extendable launch tube with an integrated 9 mm (0.35 in) spotting rifle and 1× sight. The spotting rifle has five rounds of ammunition, and is ballistically matched to the rocket. The rounds it uses are quite unusual, consisting of a 9 mm tracer bullet loaded in a necked up 7.62mm NATO shell casing, with a .22 Hornet blank mounted in the base of the larger case, providing the propellant charge. Upon firing, the .22 cartridge case pushes out of the back of the 7.62 mm casing, unlocking the breech of the spotting rifle in a form of primer actuation.[2]

To launch the rocket the firer removes the large protective end caps and extends the rear of the launch tube, opens the sight, and moves the arming lever to "armed". The weapon is then in spotting rifle mode. To fire the rocket, the firer moves a charge lever forward with his firing hand thumb. The rocket motor burns out before it leaves the launch tube, the resulting blast being directed rearwards from the launch tube. The rocket then coasts to the target, arming itself after it has passed a certain arming distance. The warhead is a HEAT shaped charge and could penetrate 700 mm (28 in) of rolled homogeneous armour at 90 degrees, as was taught to soldiers trained on the weapon system in the British Army, Royal Navy (Royal Marines) and RAF Regiment. It was also taught that sloped, composite and reactive armour, would reduce the penetration and would be an important factor when selecting the aiming point.

Specifications
External images
LAW 80 Brochure 1985
image icon LAW 80(1)
image icon LAW 80(2)
image icon LAW 80(3)
image icon LAW 80(4)
  • Contractor: Hunting Engineering
  • Calibre: 94 mm
  • Launcher length:
    • Firing mode: 1.5 m
    • Carrying mode: 1 m
  • Weight:
    • Carrying weight: 10 kg
    • Shoulder weight: 9 kg
    • Projectile weight: 4.6 kg
  • Dispersion: approx 1 mil
  • Warhead arming range: 10 to 20 m
  • Effective range: 20 to 500 m
  • Fuze:
  • Temperature range: −46 °C to +65 °C
  • Rear danger area: < 20 m
  • Shelf life: 10 years

Operators
Map with LAW 80 operators in blue and former operators in red

Current operators

Past operators

Addermine

Addermine is an acoustic sensor system which uses the LAW 80 as a kill mechanism to create an anti-armour off-route mine. It can also be command detonated from up to 200 m away, or 2 km via a laser optical link.[7]

Notes
  1. "LAW-80". WeaponSystems.net. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  2. "Cartridge of the Month". cartridgecollectors.org.
  3. "Google Sites". sites.google.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  4. Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
  5. "World Infantry Weapons: Sierra Leone". 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  6. Owen, William F. (2007). "Light Anti-Armour Weapons: Anti-Everything?" (PDF). Asian Military Review. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  7. Heyman, Charles (2008). The British Army: A Pocket Guide 2002-2003. Casemate Publishers. p. 128. ISBN 9781783378968.

See also

References
  • Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005-2006
  • Jane's Infantry Weapons 1991-1992
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